When it comes to ideas on how to act and in what one should or shouldn’t wear, celebrities play a pivotal role. And this applies to both men and women; neither gender is exempt from their influence. Their influence will be stronger for some people than it is for others and this can depend on how strong ones sense of self is. So if one has a fairly strong idea about who they and what they stand for, they might not be influenced as much as someone who hasn’t. If ones sense of self is not as strong, due one not being too clear about who they and what they stand for, there will be more of a tendency to look to others for guidance.Discernment The first person will still take in information and be inspired and influenced by others, but it is likely they will be far more discerning in what they let in and later come to mimic. And this is vital, because celebrities are simply human and are therefore not perfect. There will be some who are healthy and more functional role models than others and this is why it is imperative that one does have the ability to question what they choose to identify with and what they don’t. When one doesn’t have this discernment, it will be normal to embody whatever a celebrity is doing or saying. There will be no thought as to whether this will be a healthy thing to do or if the consequences will be life enhancing or merely lead to problems further down the line. And cause one to become alienated not only from others, but also from themselves.The Youth This is why the younger generation are so vulnerable to what celebrities are or are not doing. Their idea about who they are is still growing and developing and it is natural for them to look to others to assist in the formation of their own identity. However, just because someone is no longer in the formative years of their life, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have a strong sense of themselves.Responsibility The onus is often on the people in the public eye to behave in the right ways and as they are in the spotlight and examples to so many people, this makes sense. What creates problems is the fact that some of these celebrities do not think about the potential consequences of their actions. This can be due to celebrities being where they are because of something that other people like and not because they have proved how moral they are or how much integrity they have. Or how mentally and emotionally healthy and together they are. So being self centred, unaware and cut off from the consequences of their actions can be the norm. And as they can have so much influence and power over so many people’s life, they carry enormous responsibility. If this is used in the right way it can be extremely beneficial to what could amount to a few people, to even as many as a few million. But when this is not used in the right way, it can lead to all kinds of damage and this could last for many, many years. And no matter what parents or respected authority figures say, it is then too late.Messages There is not going to be a set message that every female celebrity has and yet there will be certain patterns that appear over and over again. And some of these will be healthy and functional and some of them won’t be. When their focus is on gaining attention in order to increase their exposure or to sell something, what they are communicating to the world is not always thought about in terms of what the consequences could be. Their intention and the intention of the people around them will be to increase the amount of money they can make. The fact that their behaviour could cause lot of damage is often overlooked as a result of short sighted gain.Objectification For years, certain women and men have been fighting the objectification of women and this work has been partly disrupted through female celebrities who objectify their own bodies. It is clear that their focus is on what it can do for them and not on what message it is giving to other females. Women are being taught that their primary source of value is their body and that in order to gain attention from men and women and to be worthy in life, they need to wear very little. A woman can then come to see her body as something she must use to manipulate other people and not as something that is sacred and should be treated with love and respect. What is known as healthy shame, the shame that causes one to cover up at the right times for example, is being eradicated.Two Sides There are naturally two sides to this: on one side is what it says about the celebrities who are acting in these ways and about the kind of females who are pulled in by this behaviour. Both are playing a part in this dynamic and yet as these females are in the public eye, it is to be expected that they will be held responsible.Emotional Development The desire to be famous often comes down to someone’s own lack of emotional development. And by being famous, one believes that they will feel a certain way and a way that will allow them to feel good about themselves and to be loved for instance. For some people, fame is something that happens as a by-product of being good at something. So it is possible for anyone to be famous and it will not depend on how emotionally developed they are. Other people are then used as a way to regulate how a celebrity feels. These can be emotional needs that go back to when one was a child or baby and are therefore insatiable. However, they can no longer be truly fulfilled by another, they need to be grieved and released.A Reflection And when some people look up to these role models who are far from healthy and functional, it can be the result of identification. So one connects to them and is able to feel a certain way themselves. These celebrities then reflect what is going for people in society at an emotional level; they are then two sides of the same coin. The difference is that some people are on a stage and the majority of people are in the audience so to speak. It then seems normal and how people are supposed to act. There are many consequences of emotional underdevelopment and the objectification of one’s body is just one example.

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